Brain School: An inside look at how our genes contribute to healthy brain development and what can go wrong
The public is invited to explore the body’s most complex organ on March 9 at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.
The public is invited to Brain School, an annual exploration of the body’s most complex organ, at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 9, at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke. Photo by Clayton Metz for Virginia Tech.
The human brain is an extraordinarily complex organ and one of the least understood.
Disorders that affect the brain — including autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and neurodevelopmental conditions — carry an immense impact on human health and quality of life. They also exact an economic toll. Brain disorders cost the United States more than $1 trillion each year in health care expenses, lost productivity, and long-term support.
Understanding how the brain develops, how it works under normal conditions, and what happens when it fails is not just a scientific challenge, but is also a public health and community concern. The constellation of genes in our brain cells, how they are turned on and off, and how changes in them can sometimes lead to disease are the focus of this year’s Brain School at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC.
The event will examine how genetic changes disrupt brain function and how scientific discoveries are opening new paths toward precision treatments at Brain School 2026: An Inside Look at How Our Genes Contribute to Healthy Brain Development and What Can Go Wrong. The program begins at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 9, at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC in Roanoke.
“Every year, National Brain Awareness Week reminds us that understanding the brain is one of the great scientific and medical frontiers of our time,” said Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and Virginia Tech vice president for health sciences and technology. “New advances are moving us into an era where we can move beyond simply identifying disorders and managing symptoms and begin correcting the underlying cause of brain disorders. That’s revolutionary.”
Brain School will feature three Fralin Biomedical Research Institute investigators whose research has implications for cell and gene therapy:
- Assistant Professor Ryan Purcell studies how variations in the number of specific gene copies can increase risk for autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Purcell will open the program with a clear overview of how genetic mutations arise and how they can alter brain development.
- Professor Anthony Samuel LaMantia, director of the institute’s Center for Neurobiology Research, will discuss his lab’s discoveries regarding 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a genetic condition caused by a missing section on one copy of chromosome 22.
- Assistant Professor Sharon Swanger investigates Dravet syndrome, a rare genetic epilepsy. Her research focuses on how mutations at the synapse — the junction where brain cells communicate — can disrupt neural signaling and inform precision medicine approaches.
Brain School is the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s annual public science event held in recognition of National Brain Awareness Week. Launched in 2014, the program was created to open the doors of cutting-edge neuroscience to the broader community.
Designed to be engaging and accessible, the event gives participants a front-row seat to neuroscience discoveries happening in Roanoke and beyond. The Brain School program will also feature interactive exhibits, tours of the institute’s research facilities, and brain healthy food.
The event is free and appropriate for all ages; the talks, which begin at 6 p.m., will also be webcast. Although it is not required, in-person participants are asked to register to help in planning.
